Pasadena Water & Power

Home Energy Reports Program

Pasadena Water and Power sends "Home Energy Reports" to about 40,000 residential electric customer households selected at random as part of a program aimed at reducing home energy use.

The quarterly reports provide insightful, easy-to-understand information on personal and comparative household energy use, giving customers the power of knowledge to make their homes more energy and cost efficient. (See sample reports below.)

Along with progress charts and personalized tips, Home Energy Reports show customers how their energy use compares to their "neighbors," an anonymous group of about 100 similarly sized homes in their area. Research has shown that this kind of comparative data is interesting and meaningful to people. When coupled with energy-saving tips, it's an effective way to motivate customers to make smart changes in their home energy use.

Aside from these reports, PWP also helps all of its residential customers save energy through tips and tools on the web and through energy efficiency rebate programs.

Log On to Your Energy Report

All PWP residential electric customers also have access to a user-friendly energy report website where they can set savings goals, browse a comprehensive tips library, conduct a quick home energy audit, and more.

Most important, customers may update and add information about their home and appliances through the web portal, helping to further customize and improve the results in the customer’s Home Energy Report.

How the Home Energy Reports Work

What is in the report?

Home Energy Reports help you understand your home's energy usage and make choices to use less energy. Each report provides:

Information on your home's energy use: For the first time, you'll be able to see your home's energy use in the context of the energy use of your neighbors' homes that are nearby and similar in size.

Progress tracking: You'll also see how your home's energy use changes over time and across seasons.

Ideas on Energy Efficiency: On each report, you can find ways to save energy, including information on the rebates and other special programs we offer.

How do I interpret the graphs in the report?

The graphs on the report show how your energy use ranks against both the average home in your “neighborhood,” as well as your most efficient “neighbors.” (Your "neighbors" in the report are an anonymous group of about 100 similarly sized homes in your area.)

Front Page: Each graph shows your energy use (in gray), the average use of all 100 neighbors (in blue), and the average use of the most efficient neighbors (in green). You can see if your energy use is more or less than your neighbors' energy use for the current period, and also for the last 12 months.

Back Page: Bars compare total energy use for the year to-date versus the same period last year.

How do you determine the size of my home and why might the square footage be different from what I'd expect?

The square footage of your home that we use in the Home Energy Report is based on data that is collected from your county assessor's office about your home. You can update this information and add more details on your household energy use by logging in to the web portal.

How do you calculate the cost or savings in the report?

The 12 month cost or savings is approximately how much more or less you will pay for energy if your energy use and patterns change to match your neighbors. The cost calculations are estimated using today's current energy rates, however, taxes and certain charges are excluded so the actual cost savings may be more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was I selected to be in the Home Energy Report program?

Approximately one-half of PWP’s customers were randomly selected to receive these reports as part of a pilot program to promote energy efficiency. We hope that this program helps you save on energy and costs.

Can I opt OUT of this program?

We are providing this service as an educational tool to help you understand your home's energy use and to share ideas on how you might save money. If you don't find this program useful, give us a call at (626) 744-6970 and we can remove you from the program. You may also go to the web portal and select the "Report Settings" tab under "My Account."

Can I opt IN to the program?

Opting in to receive a printed report is not possible at this time, but most active electric households will receive reports beginning in February 2015. However, the user-friendly web portal is available to all active residential electric customers where they can set energy goals, browse a comprehensive tips library, conduct a quick home energy audit, and more. We also encourage all our customers to take advantage of our other web resources for saving energy, and our energy efficiency rebate programs.

Can I go paperless?

Yes, you can go paperless with just the delivery of email reports, or you can get both print and email reports. Select the "Report Settings" tab under "My Account."

Why are you spending money to send these reports?

The Home Energy Report program, developed by third-party provider OPOWER, has been successfully deployed at utilities nationwide and has consistently delivered between 1.5 and 3.5 percent in average energy savings across the participant pool. The reports offer a valuable overview of your energy use along with customized solutions to help you become more energy efficient. The energy you save will help us to meet Pasadena's energy savings goals, avoid building new power plants and avoid power shortages at times when you need energy the most.

Neighbor Comparison FAQs

How did you choose the homes used in my household comparisons?

To ensure your comparison is valid, we confidentially compare homes with energy needs like yours based on the homes' characteristics. Your Household Comparison collects data from approximately 100 occupied, nearby homes that are similar in size to yours and have electricity and/or natural gas service. The comparison is compiled anonymously and not shared with anyone else—only you will know how your use compares to similar homes.

Why don’t I have any neighbors shown for comparison?

In certain instances, such as customers with solar photovoltaic systems, the program is unable to find similar neighbors. You can still track your own energy usage and get relevant tips.

Are you comparing my home to vacant homes?

No. We do not include homes that appear to be vacant based on low energy use during the comparison period.

What if there are good reasons that my household uses more energy than the similar homes?

We try our best to provide you with a comparison that will help you make decisions about saving energy and money using comparable data from homes that are similar to yours. Our research shows that for almost all residents this average is a good indication of typical energy use. However, there are some factors that we don't report, such as the number of occupants in the home and special energy needs like hot tubs and swimming pools.

How do efficient similar homes use so much less energy than me?

Energy-efficient households may take a variety of steps to reduce their energy use, including turning off lights and electronics when not in use and always running full loads in the dishwasher, washer and dryer. The reports provide customized tips to help you make your home more efficient.

I have special equipment—such as a spa, pool or energy-intensive medical device—that uses a lot of energy. So what can I learn from my Household Comparison?

As an educational tool, Home Energy Reports are designed to show you how much energy your home uses in comparison to other homes that are similar and nearby. You may already know that there is a particular reason why your home uses more energy. In this case, the report offers ideas for how you can reduce your overall use and lower the energy bills you pay.

Don't factors other than size of home and heater type influence energy use?

Of course. Efficient households take a number of the steps that we recommend to reduce their energy use. The number and types of appliances and electronic equipment in the home influence utility consumption, as do the number of people in the home and the amount of time that they are at home. Some of these factors are in your ability to control. This report will help you decide whether or not to make changes.

Privacy Concerns

Will the City share this information with others?

No. PWP does not reveal individual customer information to third parties. PWP provides individual data to OPOWER in order to generate these reports, but OPOWER does not reveal individual data to third parties pursuant to their privacy policy.

Will the City use this information to charge me more for utilities?

No, the information is solely for your personal use.

Will anyone else know about my usage?

No, your personal information is only provided to you. For all other comparisons, average numbers are used, so that all individual customer's energy usage is private and confidential.